The Edris House by E. Stewart Williams, 1953 Photo: J. Paul Getty Trust, Julius Shulman Photography Archives

Desert Utopia: Mid-century Architecture in Palm Springs is the first feature-length documentary on the mid-twentieth-century architecture in and around Palm Springs, CA.

The 80-minute documentary is an in-depth look at the creative postwar era architecture and some of the famed architects (John Lautner, Richard Neutra, R. M. Schindler, et al) and prolific regional architects (William F. Cody, Albert Frey, Donald Wexler, E. Stewart Williams, William Krisel, et al) whose homes and buildings today make up the largest concentration of important mid-century modern architecture in the United States.

Directed by award-winning East Coast filmmaker Jake Gorst (including Leisurama for PBS) and produced by Exhibitions International, Inc (New York, NY) a not for profit 501c3 organization that develops educational programming and exhibitions about architecture and design. The film weaves architectural images, vintage photography, classic film clips and interviews with architects and others to tell the story of the desert's innovative architecture.

The film includes new interviews with:

• Alan Hess, Architect/Historian, Author, Palm Springs Weekend
• Jim Iserman, Designer/Artist
• Charles Hollis Jones, Product Designer
• William Krisel, Architect
• Janice Lyle, Ph. D, Executive Director, Palm Springs Art Museum
• Anthony Merchell, Architectural Historian
• Jim Moore, Creative Director, GQ
• Jim West, Historian, Member of the Palm Desert Historic Preservation Board
• E. Stewart Williams, Architect
• Sidney Williams, Associate Curator, Palm Springs Art Museum
• Donald Wexler, Architect
• And several others...

The documentary also includes rare archival interviews with Albert Frey, John Porter Clark, Raymond Loewy and Richard Neutra.

The production phase of the documentary was funded by Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown III.